


Angrboda's Heart

by Norickayer



Series: The Saga of Loki: Hero of Earth-616 [5]
Category: Journey into Mystery, Loki: Agent of Asgard, Young Avengers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Female Character of Color, Fix-It, Gen, Genderqueer Character, Loki is sometimes a girl and never ever a guy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-17
Updated: 2014-10-17
Packaged: 2018-02-21 13:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2469701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norickayer/pseuds/Norickayer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki can’t change zir own past, but ze can stop it from repeating across the multiverse.</p><p>OR</p><p>Loki relieves Asgard of a feared witch, and becomes a parent in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Angrboda's Heart

**Author's Note:**

> In the _Hyndluljod_ , the Aesir discover a witch (“evil woman”) among them, and try to burn her body to destroy her. They have to try several times, and are only successful after Loki appears and takes her half-burned heart from the pyre. Loki devours it, and afterward is said to give birth to “monsters”.  
> There’s no written evidence that the witch is Angrboda, but that hasn’t stopped the [popular imagination](http://www.nastrond.net/angrboda.html%20) from filling in the blanks.  
> For a longer exploration of the myth of Angrboda’s Heart, see [ Loki-In-Myth](http://www.loki-in-myth.tumblr.com/post/34069358132/question-the-birth-mother-of-lokis-brood-the-cause)  
> This retelling takes the original story elements and remixes them with Marvel canon: _Loki relieves Asgard of a witch, and becomes a parent in the process._

Billy Kaplan’s eyes dart left and right as he scans through possible universes like other teens scan through television channels.

“No, no, no, no, maybe- no,” he mutters to himself. He glances at the images his magic shows him of each universe, but it’s really a feeling he’s looking for. His search has taken the better part of two weeks to accomplish, and in that time his intuitive grasp of this particular spell has grown by leaps and bounds.

He feels silly, now, thinking about how little effort he spent those months ago, when he looking for a universe in which Teddy’s mother still lived. He should have known a real search would take longer. The bait seems so obvious in hindsight.

He’s not looking for Teddy’s sake this time. He wouldn’t. Teddy misses his mother (more than he ever talks about, Billy knows. He catches Tommy and Teddy sitting together sometimes, talking about their parents who are gone), but Teddy doesn’t want to rip a parent out of their native universe, especially not after last time.

Billy’s thoughts are interrupted by a surge of heat beneath his hands. This universe feels white-hot, feels like desperation. His eyes hone in on the flashing images.

This is it.

“I found it! It’s really here- Teddy, get Loki on the line, tell zir- tell zir it’s urgent!”

-

“We all know how this story ends.”

“I won’t let it. And you won’t, either. I will never give up on you, Loki. You must have faith in yourself,” Thor admonishes, pulling Loki’s small body closer. Loki swallows and allows zirself to revel in the warmth and comfort of zir brother’s hugs one last time.

Ze wishes this moment could last forever. Ze wants to stretch time, allowing them to stay here, hidden in the Ruingarden for days, weeks, an eternity. Ze can’t, though. Ze has no magic, and even then, Loki knows how the story must end. It seems even Thor will not allow that to change.

Volstagg’s bellowing voice interrupts the sibling’s sanctuary:

“Thor, a visitor calls.”

“Give us a moment,” Thor answers, still gazing upon Loki’s damp face.

Volstagg is not to be distracted.

“You’ll need to hear this. Bring the child.”

-

If you ask Billy Kaplan what magic is about, he’d tell you that magic is about _being_. Billy learned to use magic through instinct and self-help books. He uses magic by imagining, feeling, and hearing his own intent. He surrounds himself with the thing he wants to affect, and it works its way out into the world.

If you ask David Alleyne what magic is about, he’d tell you that magic is about words and irrationality. It’s about suspending doubts and allowing yourself to believe that the spoken word can affect reality on a metaphysical level. Magic is about spells and incantations, rituals and faith.

Loki will tell you that magic is about stories. Certain ideas have weight, certain themes bend reality like a heavy ball on a rubber sheet. Patterns are repeated over and over, and become more likely to reoccur with each repetition.

Loki can use incantations and rituals and pentagrams, but at its base, the magic Loki uses is about telling a story that is so compelling that the universe starts to believe it. That’s why shapeshifting and illusions are the easiest thing for Loki to do: illusions don’t even need to fool the universe, just the eyes of mortal beings. Shapeshifting  doesn’t require much persuasion; Loki _is_ a fox, in a way, so why shouldn’t ze look like one? Loki _is_ Jotun, ze _is_ Aesir. Ze _is_ a woman, and ze is also _not_. If Loki is all of these things, then clearly zir body is as well.

The universe is not good at following philosophical distinctions, so this argument generally works.

Loki’s gotten very good at making this argument- supernaturally good, in fact.

Good enough that she stands in front of the court of Asgardia, green skin covered with a drab navy dress, thanking whatever cosmic power looked after chaos gods that no other Asgardian has ever seen _Wicked_.

She’s had no luck turning into Tyrion. She refuses to think about what that says about her.

“We come with a warning for all feeling creatures,” Loki drawls in Idina Menzel’s rich alto. The Aesir are entirely unconvinced.

“Pretty words from a stranger are of no use to us,” Sif declares, her eyes as cold and hard as the armor she wears. Loki fights the urge to groan. This is why she rarely tries to reason with Asgardia.

“Destruction threatens all living things!” Loki wheedles, trying to find an angle that will gain them a sympathetic ear. Where is Thor? He will at least hear them out.

“Again, so soon?” Fandral asks, falsely curious, “And who is it this time?”

Despite Loki’s admonition to ‘let me do the talking’, America can’t take that lying down.

“Look, I don’t care about your weird xenophobia kink- Mephisto’s gunna take over all of Hell, and then we’re all screwed, strangers or not.”

And maybe it’s Thor’s longstanding friendship with Midgard, or perhaps America’s brash tone reads as trustworthy to the warriors of Asgardia. Either way, several faces in the gathered crowd look curious, and even Sif seems to be considering America’s words.

“What’s happening?” Thor’s voice thunders over the crowd. Men and women in tunics and leathers move out of the way to allow him passage. The God of Thunder approaches the strangers slowly, walking with regal bearing, and shadowed by the small reincarnated God of Mischief.

The child looks uneasy, almost sick. Zir tears have been wiped away, but the redness in zir eyes betrays their passing.

Loki glances at America. Well, she’s gotten them this far…

“Mephisto has a crown made of Loki’s fears. If he takes the throne today, he unites Hell under him and we’re all fucked.” Thor studies her thoughtfully. To his credit, he does not question why a young woman in a hoodie and short-shorts has been tasked with the fate of the world.

“You speak of the trick Loki played on the Fear Lords.”

America doesn’t dare glance at Loki for confirmation. It sounds enough like the kind of thing a Loki would do, so she nods.

“And what would you have us do?” Thor asks.

“Destroy the crown before he makes his move,” the green Loki ( _her_ Loki) demands.

The child is staring at them, zir face vacillating between hope and horror.

“I assume you have a plan?” Fandral asks, watching the strangers closely.            

“We need to take the kid,” America says, not without sympathy. “It’s Loki’s fears that make up the crown. If Loki’s gone…”

“So too, the crown,” Thor finishes. “Loki is a son of Asgardia. I will not abandon him to death at the word of a stranger.”

“It’s true!” the child blurts out. Sure, by talking about it (by talking at _all_ beyond the promised three conversations) ze’s broken the deal ze made with zir older self, but if someone can actually fix this- if they can prevent the unthinkable without reviving Old Loki in the process, isn’t that worth the risk?

“Loki-“

“It’s true. We don’t have much time, merely hours before it’s done. I must- I must cease to exist if the peace is to be maintained.” The child looks from zir brother to the strangers. “If you have another solution, please, _tell me_!”

“We can take you away, further than even Mephisto can reach,” the green stranger offers, “But to break the connection and destroy the crown, you can never return.”

“Impossible. Not even death will take me far enough away.” Zir tone is challenging, but zir eyes are hopeful.

“Where in the Nine Realms would be far enough?” Thor asks, trying to be diplomatic.

“We can get _way_ further than the Nine Realms,” America says with a grin, flexing her hands. Tendons dance under the tattoo at her wrist.

“I would not be without my brother. There must be another way,” Thor argues, unknowingly echoing Loki’s own words to zir older self.

“This _is_ the other way,” Loki says softly.

“I will go,” the child decides.

-

The portal disperses into motes of light that fade into nothing as they watch.

“I can’t believe that worked,” America mentions.

Loki sticks out her tongue. “I should have known they wouldn’t react well to my petition. You improvised well.”

Loki and America share a fond smile.

“Well, better make sure we were successful,” Loki says.

“How about it, Billy? Are we home free?” America asks.

The CrowCam resting on her left shoulder cocks its head, as if thinking. It opens its beak, and Billy Kaplan’s voice comes out.

“As far as I can tell, yeah. The crown is gone, all right. Mephisto looks pissed.”

The child stares at the CrowCams in trepidation.

“Who are you people?”

“Don’t worry: they’re crows, not magpies.” Loki’s heart is lighter than she can ever remember it feeling. She feels as if she might sprout wings and fly at any moment. Maybe she will, just for the fun of it!

“You gunna stay green all day, Elphaba?” America teases.

Loki examines the skin of her hands, and ultimately decides not to delay the last revelation of the night. She takes a deep breath. ‘ _Once upon a time, Loki was of the Aesir…’_

As she exhales, the visage of Elphaba disappears, leaving behind Loki of the Young Avengers. She reaches up and adjusts the golden horns on her brow.

“You again?” the child asks, zir voice weary. Loki smiles.

“Get used to it, kid; it’s Lokis all the way down.”

**Author's Note:**

> [It’s turtles all the way down.](http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down%20)  
>  The exchange between Loki and Thor at the beginning of the story is taken directly from Issue 645 of Journey Into Mystery.
> 
> Feel free to write up a comment if you’ve gotten this far- otherwise I don’t know what’s working and what isn’t in these fics.


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